D&D 4th ed

[alhoon]

Rumour says 4e is coming 2008

But that's 3 years from now! And Ravenloft 4e won't be published until at least a year after that!

I'm becoming a bit tired with 3e to be frank.
Well, yes I like the books on the enviroments but they are coming to an nd soon.
I'm very fond of the books on Races like Libris Mortis, Lords of Madness and Draconomicon, I would certainly buy the book on giants, I would see a book about animals and plants (but I wouldn't buy it) and perhaps a couple more books but that's it.
I liked the book on the player Races but they covered most of them. Perhaps a book on underground races for players.

I believe 3e has run its course.

[Coan]

But if they were to reinvent D&D 4th Edition would they get rid of the d20 system? Maybe they would change to a more 'Alternity' based system.

To me that would be the definition of cool.

But by 'run its course' and 'tired of 3e' what do you mean? Do you want new rules or that they have covered everything you can think of? Or do you want a new game system?

[ScS of the Fraternity]

I don't know. I was a big fan of Alternity, but a lot of the rules in that system were complicated and confusing.

I'd hope the D20 system stays around, but even it could use some changes.
Perhaps a new edition to D&D would still use D20 but would incorporate different classes and ect.?

[Drinnik Shoehorn]

Remember it's a rumour. It's no more substantial than me saying I heard that ScS likes wearing lacy thongs.

[Jester of the FoS]

8 years after 3.0 came out and less than 5 since 3.5.
There is no was they'll go for another separate edition that soon. A republishing of the Core books maybe, one to accommodate all the new information featuring a wave of new feats, PrC, and the like as well as accommodating errata and rule clarifications. But a whole new edition?
The fans would never stand for it. No one wants to buy a whole new set of books and re-do everything again. For the long-time fans (the adult players and those with the income to buy every book and thus carry the company) they'll most likely have sat through one edition chance already. Two if you can the swap-over to 3.5. And I don’t think WotC has forgotten the stinging of that, a lot of fuss and negative publicity spun out of that and drove a lot of fans to the competitors. Their share of the market really slid over 2003-04.

WotC will have to wait another few years for a generation to grow up who has only played 3/3.5 who will be willing to get in at the ground floor. It's daunting to 'have' to pick up ten-twenty accessory books. Fans and hobbyists do tend to favour the collector “gotta have ‘em all” mentality. That’s easier when you can pick them up as they’re released but gets hard when there’s a big back catalogue.
As it stands more people lean on the “getting them all since day-one” category than the “just started and have a ways to go”.

Remember AD&D 2E came out in ’87. It was 13 years before they squeaked out 3E. There’s still plenty of books that can be released or revamped. The monster books still have a long way to go and there are numerous races and environments still to be covered and detailed. To say nothing of the setting-specific books such as the Eberron and Forgotten Realms series.

IF they do release a new edition it’ll likely be an alternate rule-set for either advanced or beginning players. Rather like they had D&D and AD&D for a time.

[Wiccy of the Fraternity]

Oh dear, WOtC is becoming GW in regard new editions of games!

[alhoon]

By 'tired of 3e' what do you mean? Do you want new rules or that they have covered everything you can think of? Or do you want a new game system?

IMO the improvement from AD&D 2nd ed to D&D 3rd edition was vast. I never liked the AD&D much. Still there is nothing that cannot improve. Example?
The D&D 3.5 was better that 3e. So I'm willing to spend money on a new, better clarified, smoother system that would bring me more enjoyment than spending money on books like on the "Heroes of Inner Planes" or "The book of Vermin".

While the rules haven't covered anything I can think of, they'll quickly cover most things I would invenst for.

8 years after 3.0 came out and less than 5 since 3.5.

Hey! 3e came out at 1998 and AD&D 2nd edition came out at 1989. So at 2008 we will have as much a gap between editions as we had with AD&D. However since I believe the 3.5e is similar to going to AD&D I believe that it will be some more time before we get to 4e.

Yet. . . WoTC are getting out of books to publish. Until August of 2008 they will have to publish 36 more generic D&D books! What can these books cover? They'll be less-than-usefull books IMO. I may buy some of them out of curiosity but I believe that they'll have far less appeal than the books for races/monsters/enviroments.

However the lack of sales may turn WotC towards other settings. . . perhaps Ravenloft among them!

[Drinnik Shoehorn]

2nd Ed came out before 1989, that was when the revised edition came out, the black books rather than the full cover books.

[Igor the Henchman]

IMO the improvement from AD&D 2nd ed to D&D 3rd edition was vast. I never liked the AD&D much. Still there is nothing that cannot improve. Example?
The D&D 3.5 was better that 3e. So I'm willing to spend money on a new, better clarified, smoother system that would bring me more enjoyment than spending money on books like on the "Heroes of Inner Planes" or "The book of Vermin".

Though the rules really did improve immensely, I have observed the overall enjoyment of the game depends on the quality of the rules only so much. If 4e came out soon, I wouldn't rush to update my game

Hey! 3e came out at 1998

Uhh... No. My Van Richten's Guide to Fiends (last product ever published for 2e Ravenloft) says "copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc."

Yet. . . WoTC are getting out of books to publish. Until August of 2008 they will have to publish 36 more generic D&D books! What can these books cover? They'll be less-than-usefull books IMO. I may buy some of them out of curiosity but I believe that they'll have far less appeal than the books for races/monsters/enviroments.

They'll probably run another 20 "generic" supplements or so... Then turn to campaign worlds. Probably ditch Eberron in three years or so, then get two new settings to replace it... Then three or four, up until 4th edition.
If D&D lasts that long.

[alhoon]

That the last AD&D product was out in 2000 doesn't mean that the D&D 3rd Edition came out in 2000. Perhaps it was 1999. I'm not sure however since I have abandoned 2nd edition (and turned to homebrew) until the 3rd edition.
Anyway your point stands. 2008 is too early to bring a new edition. But . . . 2010? ! ? Well that will save me money after all.

[Trebor Minntt]

I have a first printing 3e players handbook that is dated to 2000, i know it's first priting because it has a mini DMG in the back because the dmg wasn't out for another month and I got it before the dmg came out. The newest 2nd ed product i have is also dated 2000, being the Dragonlance Module Rise of the Titans. It appears both came out in the same year.

as for the realese of second ed, my full colour 2nd ed dmg says it came out in 1989, making an 11 year gap between the two editions and since my ad&d first ed played handbook is from 1978 making another 11 year gap I'd say we have until 2011 till 4th ed, if trends mean anything.

[alhoon]

So, we probably we have to wait for 5 - 6 more years. According to the Wizards publishing a book every month, that will be 60 - 70 more general rulebooks.
While I can see FR taking 60 more books I can't see how the Wizards will pull it off so much with Eberon or general D&D books. Or I can't imagine anyone buying 30 (not 60) more books of FR!
Probably WotC will slow down eventually to quality instead of quantity.

[JinnTolser]

Maybe they'll dig up another old 2e campaign setting? That would give them a good two years' worth of new releases at least.

I really hope they don't change to a new edition anytime soon. While 3e is far from perfect, I don't think it's necessary to create a whole new edition.

Maybe they'll update and revise the important books, kinda like they did with 3.5 but on a smaller scale, more like what they did with the Star Wars Revised Core Rulebook.

[Charney]

I must say that if they put out a 4th edition, I probably won't follow this time. 3ED was brilliant to me cause I hated 2ED. But lately, I don'T buy that much book anymore (Except Ravenloft) so if a new edition comes out, it's over for me. I will still play (I can see myself senile and still throwing the dices) but I doubt I'd buy books.

[Le Noir Faineant]

*Don't ask me how I established THIS internet connection*

I feel very honoured that a thread was started because of a quote of mine...

Here's something to boost some more rumours...

http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=488063

Basically, here's what I found rumouring about 4e:
(Please keep in mind: THESE are just RUMOURS, nothing approved!)

- Both FR and Greyhawk will be dropped.

- WotC will again try to acquire licenses for fantasy settings from popular novels, such as CoC or WoT... Harry Potter d20 could be reality soon...

- d20 will go on.

Best wishes from the outer planes,

R